CLEANSING THE SOUL

Our foreheads were marked with the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday and now we “forge ahead” in that “dusty, deserted time in the desert with Jesus” during Lent.

Yet, Lent is also called a “spring cleaning of the soul.” So how does one make the best of this liturgical season to experience the true spiritual growth and renewal we long for?

Priests and lay leaders in the Diocese of Baton Rouge say it begins with quiet time with the Lord.

“It definitely starts with prayer,” said Dina Dow, director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Particularly because we are celebrating a Eucharistic Revival, Dow urged people to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, embrace Jesus, be “real in prayer” and contemplate Christ’s sacrifice in love for us.

And  the most significant question to ask is, “Lord, what would you like me to do this Lent?”

“I think the questions to ask as we prepare for Lent are ‘What will help me grow?’ or ‘What will make me a better person at this time in my life?’ “ said Father Tom Clark SJ, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Baton Rouge. “I try to avoid reverting to the same old sacrifice each year like giving up sweets.  I like to approach Lent with a new look. What will help me right now in my life? Where in my life do I need to grow?  What is holding me back from drawing closer to God?”

“This requires some searching and honesty with ourselves,” he said. “We often are blind to our need for growth.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the light to see what you need to do. Remember when Jesus told the rich, young man in Mark 10: 21, ‘There is one thing you lack.’  What do I lack?”

Father Paul Gros, parochial vicar at St. Margaret Queen of Scotland Church in Albany, pointed out the church has put Lent on its liturgical calendar as a time to refocus on the Lord and the gift of salvation he has given us.

“We have to become aware of our own shortcomings and our need for God,” said Father Gros. “When it comes to the practices of Lent during our lives what is the practice or practices that will enhance my relationship with the Lord in the end?”

There are many resources giving guidance, inspiration and a “nudge” to continue, according to Dow. The diocese has created a webpage at diobr.org/lent filled with information and resources, including online videos, on the three pillars of Lent: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. There are also a number of podcasts available online.

Sacred Scripture itself is also one of the most valuable tools as well as inspirational devotional books and Lent-focused books, said Dow.

No matter what we decide we need to do for our personal growth, everyone’s Lent needs to include something we do to help others and to be of service, said Father Clark.

“We all need to reach out to someone in need,” he said. “That person may be someone in our own family or circle of friends. We focus on prayer and fasting but let’s not forget about almsgiving – which is more than money but also gifts of time and presence to others.”

Dow said church parishes offer many prayer and faith formation opportunities, such as Lenten missions, days of reflection, Bible studies, etc. People can also volunteer through their parishes to serve the less fortunate at St. Vincent de Paul, Missionaries of Charity at St. Agnes Church in Baton Rouge, Habitat for Humanity, etc.

Father Clark, Father Gros and Dow emphasized Lenten practices should focus on spiritual growth.

“Sometimes people will fall into the practice of making a checklist and then patting themselves on the back because they’re able to go 40 days without eating chocolate or whatever, they choose,” said Father Gros. “But it’s void of actually growing in the pain and coming to know God’s love and mercy in their life.”

To help keep Lenten commitments, Dow recommended people have someone accompany them as an “accountability coach.”

She further suggested that families approach Lent together, which keeps up the motivation and provides moments of growth for everyone.

At the same time, Father Clark, Father Gros and Dow emphasized Lent is not an endurance test, which pushes some to check the liturgical calendar to see if Lent officially ends on Holy Thursday or Easter Sunday so they can give up their sacrifices as soon as possible.

“I try to avoid thinking of our Lenten sacrifices as an endurance contest or a show of my personal strength,” said Father Clark. “Lent is not about what I do, but about what I let God do in me. I probably will slip and fail in my Lenten sacrifices.  When that happens, I learn that I am weak, and he is strong.  I realize that I cannot do it alone and that I need God. It keeps me humble, and I don’t become proud and boastful of what I did. When I slip, I just get up, dust myself off, and begin again with a deeper understanding that whatever I do, I do with God’s help.”

Dow agreed.

“Reboot … Don’t get discouraged and start over,” said Dow.

To avoid complications with Lenten practices, Dow said to “keep it simple.”

Father Gros noted, “Even the small things are significant.”

And instead of making a grimacing face and bracing for the long (yet short) haul ahead this Lenten season, Dow said be open to the Lord and “be prepared to be surprised” by points of joy.

Father Clark said, “I think the best way to continue the graces of Lent is to fully celebrate the Easter season of 50 days.

“We are good at sacrifices for 40 days.  Can we also be good at rejoicing for 50 days? Feel the joy of Jesus’ resurrection – which is the joy of our knowing that we are loved and saved – by rejoicing in the goodness of creation all around us – the beautiful spring weather, the budding trees, the crawfish season, the celebrations of First Holy Communion and Confirmation, graduations sand family reunions. If Lent taught us that we need God and depend on him totally, then Easter teaches us that God is there for us and is showing us signs of his love every day in the ordinary things of life. Throughout Lent and Easter, I want a deeper appreciation of God’s presence with me.”